11th MVP Award Rewarded

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I am actually on vacation, but as I sit here under the summer sun, toes in the pool and a cold drink within reach, I have been waiting for that email confirming that I’ve been awarded my 11th Microsoft MVP Award! As last year, I am being awarded in both the Teams and Copilot category. To say I’m humbled would be an understatement. Being part of the global Microsoft MVP community for over a decade now has been an incredible journey, filled with learning, sharing, speaking, and connecting with passionate technologists from every corner of the world. What is the Microsoft MVP Award? The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award is given to technology experts who share their knowledge and real-world expertise with communities. With fewer than 4,000 MVPs worldwide, it’s an honor to be part of such a vibrant and dedicated group. MVPs contribute through speaking engagements, writing, open-source contributions, and helping others online and offline. You can learn more about the progra...

Lync 2013 and Skype Video calling

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For true fans of true universal communications, Christmas came early this year!
Microsoft announced the availability of Lync to Skype video calling.
And this is what it is all about, the availability of this icon, the video call button:


And what comes next? A nice video (no one in the other room :P )


In this screenshot I am on a Skype client, and the other side is on a Lync 2013 klient.

This is one of the really anticipated updates, and it gives "universal communications" a real feel. With Lync to Skype federation enabled, your Lync 2013 users can now potentially reach millions of users, and have high quality conversations.

Enough promo, what does it take to make it work? Surprisingly little. If you already have the Skype IM/P-Audio federation set up, you are good to go. All it takes are up to date clients (Skype 7.0.0.100 and October Lync client CU).
If you haven't enabled Lync to Skype Federation, follow the simple steps outlined in this guide.

A note to end users: It only works on Skype for Windows desktop at the moment (no mobile devices just yet). And I discovered you have to get the latest version from this site to make it work (an update check within my original Skype client did not upgrade to this version, but it will soon, probably).

It will work on Lync 2013 Desktop client and iOS devices.

Happy video calling!